Weak crab upside down in his saltwater pool!

[IamSam]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
6 inches of playsand/ecoearth

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. On the back of the tank about half way down the wall. The hottest part of the tank is 80-84. Humidity is usually between 85-90

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Uth with a thermostat

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Both fresh and salt(instant ocean) changed weekly. I have well water. No chlorine so no dechlorinator.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
turtle treats. Dried shrimp, crickets, meal worms, chia seeds, seasame seeds, worm castings, oats, cuttlefish bone, oak and maple leaves, millit, exoskeleton, dried cows blood, tumeric powder, green sand ... ect. I make sure they always have protein, green sand, worm castings and calcium in the tank at all times.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
A year and a half. Purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
He's successfully molted with me several times. He recently came up from his last molt Dec 10th.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon(a bit small i know im working on an upgrade) and a solid glass lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 crabs in 7/8 to 1 inch shells

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
10

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Change the waters weekly. Scoop the tank of poop weekly.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
Plastic plant that i got from the fish section at the pet store. Its been in the tank before when i first got them, i changed up the decor. And some sphagnum moss i got from the petstore.

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
This crab has gotten sick before when i first got him, though that may have been stress or pps as it happened before he had his first molt with me. He got better, though he seemed to have died and came back from the dead. That fake plant was in the tank at the time as well.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

I felt he came up from his molt fine but i noticed he wasnt quite as active. Then he gradually became less and less active then he started moving like his shell was getting too heavy for him and kept seeming to get weaker. So i hopefully thought he might just need to change his shell(its on the larger side for him). Today i caught him in his salt water pool upside down barely in his shell. He's alive but still acting very weak. My other crab seems normal.

I put him in some Tupperware with some moist sand on the bottom. Some food, wet moss and a bit of water in a seashell. I broke some holes in the lid and placed him back in his tank.

Please. Any reason why hes like this and what i could do for him would be appreciated.

[curlysister]

Your tank conditions and care sound really good - I don't see anything obvious that could have caused this.
I think you did the right thing by isolating him from your other crab. Feed some high energy foods like honey and peanut butter.
Do you have any lighter shells for him?

[IamSam]

Yes he has several lighter shells to choose from. I dont know how long to keep him isolated for. Im wondering if i should let him out when im there to make sure he wont accidentally drown or get eaten but Im worried about stressing him out more by handeling him too much.

I dont think the plant or the moss could have caused this, but i did take the plant out anyway to make room for the Tupperware. Maybe he had a stressful molt somehow? Though my other crab was mostly topside during that time. They tend to almost take turns molting. So i dont believe he bothered him.

[curlysister]

Is he eating and moving around now?

[IamSam]

he's moving around some but not much. i haven't seen him eat but im not able to watch him 24/7 so its hard to tell. he still seems weak.

[curlysister]

There is no harm in keeping him isolated from the other crabs for a bit, until you are sure he's not weak and therefore at risk of being harmed by the others.

[IamSam]

He's out of his shell!

...

Update: He's back in.

Gotta say, im not loving how the newyears starting out.

[IamSam]

Question: what would happen if a hermit crab is missing the legs that he holds onto his shell with?

Yesterday morning and today i found him out of his shell completely. Was able to coax him back in using the care sheet info yesterday. Today i just lifted his shell for him and he slid his butt back in.

I caught a glimps today and saw he may be missing at least one of his back legs. Could our problems be from that?
Im wondering if any other crabbers have had this happen and what can be done to help him out?

[IamSam]

I wish i could show images but I cant use taptalk.

He came out of his shell again and i was able to take a picture so i could compair images online and it looks like he has all his parts.
Im at a loss.

[IamSam]

He's come out of his shell 6 or 7 times since new years day. Ive had them for over a year and they've successfully molted several times. My humidity and temperature levels are where they should be according to the care sheets.

He seems to be having trouble holding on to his shell and moving it around. Which is why i thought it could be something with his back legs. But from what i can tell from comparing images online, i think they are as they should be but im not positive.

I dont think he's eating much, if anything. I am offering him honey in addition to his regular food. He's not moving around much. In fact the most ive seen him move around is when he's shelless.
And now im worried that since hes been put in water, due to method one for re-shelling a crab, multiple times a day for a couple hours. Im worried that thats going to hurt him somehow(how does shell rot happen?).
My other crab seems to be doing just fine. The only minor changes that ive made Shouldn't have hurt him, but i have taken the plastic plant back out.

Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? And does anyone know how to take care of a crab that may have issues with his back legs?

Ive taken to putting him in Tupperware at night when i cant watch him. Im putting food and fresh water where he can easily get to it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Help.

[IamSam]

Help.

New years day.

I felt he came up from his molt fine but i noticed he wasnt quite as active. Then he gradually became less and less active then he started moving like his shell was getting too heavy for him and kept seeming to get weaker. So i hopefully thought he might just need to change his shell(its on the larger side for him). Today i caught him in his salt water pool upside down barely in his shell. He's alive but still acting very weak. My other crab seems normal.

I put him in some Tupperware with some moist sand on the bottom. Some food, wet moss and a bit of water in a seashell. I broke some holes in the lid and placed him back in his tank.

Today.

He's come out of his shell 6 or 7 times since new years day.
Ive had them for over a year and they've successfully molted several times. My humidity and temperature levels are where they should be according to the care sheets. The only things new to the tank are some sphagnum moss and a plastic plant, both of which i got from the petstore.

He seems to be having trouble holding on to his shell and moving it around. Which is why i thought it could be something with his back legs. But from what i can tell from comparing images online, i think they are as they should be but im not positive.

I dont think he's eating much, if anything. I am offering him honey in addition to his regular food. He's not moving around much. In fact the most ive seen him move around is when he's shelless.
And now im worried that since hes been put in water, due to method one for re-shelling a crab, multiple times a day for a couple hours. Im worried that thats going to hurt him somehow(how does shell rot happen?).
My other crab seems to be doing just fine. The only minor changes that ive made Shouldn't have hurt him, but i have taken the plastic plant back out.

Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? And does anyone know how to take care of a crab that may have issues with his back legs?

Ive taken to putting him in Tupperware at night when i cant watch him. Im putting food and fresh water where he can easily get to it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Currently hes naked and im trying to coax him back into a shell.

Help.

[curlysister]

The issue is that he is weak, not that there is something wrong with his back legs. He is more active without the shell because he isn't trying to carry it around in his weakened state.
You should only put a mm or two in the bottom of the dish/mug for trying to get him into a shell, he shouldn't be immersed in water. There is no worry about shell rot.

[IamSam]

Thank you.
He's gone shelless twice a day since new years. And ive noticed he hasent gone inside his shell all the way since at least new years as well.
Any tips or advice will be appreciated but i think all i can do is try to keep him shelled as mich as possable. Give him high energy foods and keep an eye on him.
I was just putting him in Tupperware at night when i couldnt watch but i think ill be keeping him in there from now until hes better. At least until he stops ditching his shell.

If you want to see how he looks shelless, thpugh i cant post an image on here i can post on Reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/hermitcrabs/co ... ked_naked/

[curlysister]

Unfortunately, going naked repeatedly and soaking in water isn't a good sign.
Keep giving high energy foods, keep isolated from your other crabs, and keeping the temp and humidity in good ranges is all you can do to give him the best chance of survival.
I can't see the photo on reddit but not sure it would really tell us anything anyways.

[IamSam]

Thank you.

Do you have any idea what could have happened? Ive had them for over a year and a half and i believe all their levels are in good range. I havent made any drastic changes to the tank, and my other crab seems fine. The only thing i can think of is that he had a bad molt for some reason. Though even with that i wouldnt know why since my crabs seem to pretty much take turns molting. So my other crab was mainly topside throughout his molt and probably didnt bother him.

Ill do my best to pull him through. Wish us luck.